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Target Vistula
Part of Polish-Bolshevik War, Estonian War of Independence, Latvian War of Independence and Lithuanian of Independence
Soviet propaganda poster featuring the destruction of White Poland
Date November 18, 1918 to March, 1919 Location Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine Result Unconcluded
Belligerents
Estonia  Latvia  Lithuania Poland	RSFSR
Commanders and leaders
Johan Laidoner Józef Piłsudski	Jukums Vācietis
Strength
>100,000 troops	>100,000 troops
Casualties and losses
?	?

The Russian Westward offensive of 1918 — 1919 was part of general move of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic into the areas abandoned by the Ober-Ost garrisons, that were being withdrawn to Germany following that country's defeat in the World War I. The offensive in the Vistula river direction by the newly-created Western Army had the aim of establishing Soviet governments in Belarus, Ukraine and Poland and to drive as far west as possible and possibly join up with the German Revolution.

This move westwards eventually led to the Polish-Soviet War.

The best known comprehensive historical analysis of this period was performed by Norman Davies in his book White Eagle, Red Star (1972). In this book he mentioned the codename for this offensive: Target Vistula.

Before the battle

After signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Russia lost the European lands it annexed in the 18th century and 19th century. Most of today's Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic States was passed to the government of Germany, which in turn decided to grant these states limited independence as buffer states. However, the German defeat on the Western Front and internal dissolution of Austria-Hungary, made the plans for creation of Mitteleuropa obsolete.

The German army started a retreat westwards. Demoralised officers and revolting soldiers abandoned their garrisons en masse and returned home. The areas abandoned by the Central Powers became a field of conflict between the local governments created by Germany as part of their plans, local governments that sprung up after the withdrawal of the Germans and the Bolsheviks that wanted those areas to be incorporated to the Bolshevik Russia. Nor were Poland and the Bolshevik the only sides attempting to grab power. Belarusian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian and even Cossack governments were formed. Internal struggle for power prevented any of the governments in Belarus to gain enough power and the situation in Ukraine was even more complex with an ongoing conflict between the Makhno's anarchists, communists, White Russians, various governments of Ukraine and the reborn Polish Army. The entire region abandoned by the German forces became a gigantic free-for-all theatre, where dozens of factions competed for power.

The Polish-Soviet war, like the majority of the other conflicts in Eastern Europe of that time, was more of an accident then that of the planned design. In the chaos prevailing in the first months of 1919, it was unlikely that anyone in Bolshevik Russia or in the new Second Republic of Poland would have deliberately planned a major foreign war. It was only a matter of luck that Soviet begun organised advance to secure the chaotic territories left in the wake of the German retreat before the Polish forces were able to organise and start a move of their own.

Offensive

Meanwhile the newly-formed Red Army was growing in personnel, and Lenin could gather enough strength to replace withdrawing Western barrier forces ("Западная завеса") by solid military and re-take the lands lost by Russia in 1917 by simply following the withdrawing German army. Upon the news about the German Revolution, on November 13, 1918 the Soviet government annulled the Treaty of Brest Litovsk and issued orders to the Red Army to move in the direction of Belarus, Ukraine and Baltic States in order to establish Soviet governments there. The move of the newly-created (on November 16) Western Army that started at night of November 17 1918 in the operational vacuum created by the withdrawing German army, in the geneal direction of Belarus, Ukraine and Poland (the latter sometimes referred to as "By-Vistula Lands" (Привислянский край) in Imperial Russia) was code-named Target-Vistula.

On January 5, 1919, the Red Army entered Minsk almost unopposed, thus putting an end to the short-lived Belarusian People's Republic. At the same time the Polish and Belarusian self-defence units sprung up across Western Belarus. Ill-equipped and composed mostly of local recruits, they were determined to defend their homes from what the newspapers described as a Red menace. Similar Bolshevik groups were operating in the sector and a series of skirmishes ensued. The Polish-Bolshevik struggle over Vilna in the first week of 1919 was a sign of the things to come, as Polish milita was forced to withdraw after first organised units of the Soviet Western Army entered the city. In response, the Polish Army started sending the units eastwards to help the self-defence, while the Russians did the same, but in the opposite direction. The open conflict seemed inevitable.

On January 12 Soviet High Command declared the goal of its Target Vistula operation: deep scouting towards Nieman. On February 12 that goal was updated to the Western Bug river.(Davies, p.12) On that day Jukums Vācietis ordered the new Western Command to carry out a 'reconnaissance in depth' as far as Tilsit, Brest-Litovsk, Kowel and Rowne. He also ordered securing main railway junctions, including those in Wilno, Lida, Baranowicze and Luninice.(Davies, p.39)

Among the aims of the Bolsheviks was to drive through the Eastern and Central Europe and support the Revolutions in Germany and Austria-Hungary.(Davies, p.29) The Bolshevik Russian forces did not anticipate any serious opposition on the way and saw the states of Poland, Belarus and Lithuania as mere ephemerides, unable do defend their own temporary borders. However, it is unlikely that the Soviets really expected to reach the Vistula. The military orders were full of propaganda. The main goal of the operation was likely to see how much territory can be captured in the chaotic western areas before any serious opposition arises.{Davies, p.12 and p.13)

Finally the first Polish-Soviet clashes happened in the area of the towns of Bereza Kartuska (February 14) and Mosty, where both armies clashed in a series of skirmishes. The Bolshevik offensive came to a halt by late February and it became apparent that the Red Army will not break through the Polish lines by half-hearted attacks. Both the Russian offensive and the Polish counter-attack started at the same time, which resulted with an increasing number of troops being brought to the area. In April the Bolsheviks captured Grodno and Wilno, but were soon pushed out by the Polish counter-offensive.

Aftermath

The Polish Army proved to be a far more difficult opponent than the Russians had assumed. Although the orders for the Target-Vistula operation were never withdrawn, the Russian plans were soon made obsolete by growing Polish resistance and eventually by Polish counter-offensive in April. Unable to accomplish their objectives, the Red Army withdrew from their positions and started a reorganisation, after which the Polish-Bolshevik War started.

Note

Norman Davies in his book claims that "Target Vistula" ("Цель - Висла" or something similar) was the Soviet codename of the offensive. This term, however, is absent in the sources he quotes and in Polish and Soviet historiography of the period.

Reference

• Davies, Norman, White Eagle, Red Star: the Polish-Soviet War, 1919-20, Pimlico, 2003, ISBN 0-7126-0694-7. (First edition: St. Martin's Press, Inc., New York, 1972)

• Battles of the Polish-Soviet War